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1 

College Bulletin 

COLLEGE OF INDUSTRIAL ARTS 

THE STATE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN 

DENTON, TEXAS 

APPROPRIATE CLOTHES FOR THE 
HIGH SCHOOL GIRL 

BY 

VIRGINIA M. ALEXANDER 

DIRECTOR 

DEPARTMENT OF FINE AND 

APPLIED ART 



APPROPRIATE CLOTHES 
FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL GIRL 

Some one asked recently, "Why all this agitation on the 
subject of high school girls' dress?" Interest in this sub- 
ject has certainly increased during the last several years 
and the high school girl herself is directly responsible for 
this interest. 

It has been said that no great evil exists but contains 
the seeds of its own cure. 

The costumes worn to school by the high school girls 
of our country have been gradually going from bad to 
worse with the years. Mothers and teachers have striven 
to do what they could to correct matters but not until the 
girls themselves realized that this great weakness existed, 
and they resolved to seek a cure, were real results 
noticeable. 

The representative high school girls of our country are 
making a stand for good taste and democracy in the clothes 
they wear to school. 

This little bulletin is published with the hope that its 
suggestions may be of value to those students who truly 
desire to raise the standards of dress among the girls of 
their school. 



A 



EXTENSION SERVICE 

ADVISORY FACULTY COMMITTEE ON 
EXTENSION SERVICE 

F. M. Bralley, President of the College. 

Virginia M. Alexander, Director, Department of Fine and 
Applied Art. 

Lena Bumpas, Supervisor, Teacher-Training Vocational 
Home Economics. 

Margaret Gleason, Director, Department of Household 
Arts. 

Mamie W. Walker, Assistant Professor, Department of 
English. 

A STAFF OF COMPETENT LECTURERS AND EXTENSION 
WORKERS FROM THE REGULAR FACULTY 



Requests for Extension Service should be addressed to 
Lillian Humphries, 

Secretary, Department of Extension, 
College of Industrial Arts, 
Denton, Texas. 

Number 74 February 1, 1920 

Issued monthly by the College of Industrial Arts, Denton, Texas. 

Entered December 17, 1917, Denton, Texas, as second-class 

matter, under Act of Congress, August 24, 1912. 



Appropriate Clothes for the High School Girl 

Many a girl feels, when she first enters high school, 
that she is a child no longer. She has suddenly become a 
woman, and she must demonstrate this fact to the world im- 
mediately by her clothes. 

Gingham dressess, middies, and low-heel shoes are 
scorned as belonging to the days that are gone. Hair once 
lovely for its natural beauty and simplicity takes on fearful 
and wonderful lines. French heels only are to be considered 
and a georgette blouse with elaborate camisole or a silk 
dress is an absolute necessity. With these acquisitions our 
young lady is ready for her new undertaking. 

Could she possibly make a greater mistake ? The school 
room is not a style show t nor a social function, but it is a 
busy workshop where material is to be assembled from 
which to build a life. 

In a truly good high school, of all places, a student must 
do or die, and there is no time here to be wasted on thoughts 
of frills and furbelows. School room walls and blackboards 
do not make consistent backgrounds for party clothes. 

In the past the high school girl who was considered 
well dressed by her associates was the one who was elabo- 
rately dressed. Now, since the girls of our country are in- 
terested in all the big world issues of the day and have 
taken efficiency as their watchword the girl who is a leader 
is the girl who pan do, not the girl who can dress. 

One of the surest tests of good judgment and refine- 
ment in a girl is her selection of clothes. 

The overdressed , girl does not belong to the wealthiest 
and most cultured families as a rule. She is often striving 
to attain a social goal not yet realized and the school room 
and the street offer her only opportunities to show her fine 
feathers. 



Suggestions for the School Dress 

If a girl should not wear fanciful clothes to school just 
what, then, should she wear ? In a general way I will answer 
that question. 

A high school girl should wear dresses made of good, 
substantial material, appropriate for its wearing quality 
and interesting for its color and texture. 

These dresses should be made on lines becoming to the 
individual girl who is to wear the dress, and at the same 
time designed so that they will stand the wear and tear to 
which they will be subjected. 

Dangling tassels, sashes, and fluffy ruffles divert the 
attention of both the wearer and the observer and by their 
very inappropriateness make the owner conspicuous. Above 
all, the school dress, which is a work dress, should allow the 
wearer free use of her limbs and muscles and should pro- 
mote her general good health. 

A school girl in a dress built on the lines of a Peter 
Thompson or Hofflin suit with proper accessories in the 
way of shoes, stockings, and coiffure has much more style 
than her little sister in georgette or velvet. This type of 
suit is becoming to almost any girl as the collar, tie, and 
belt may be varied to suit each individual, and the design 
has become almost as staple as flour and sugar in the pantry. 
As a result, these dresses, made of good material, may be 
worn for several years without going out of style. 

Ready-made suits of this type are quite expensive but 
patterns are easily secured and any one who sews may make 
a successful garment if a little care is exercised. 

Gingham, linen, and percale dresses built on simple 
lines so that they may be laundered without becoming 
stretched and misshapen, are always satisfactory and pleas- 
ing. 

In cold weather serge and tricatine make splendid but 
expensive substitutes for the washable materials, 




APPROPRIATE SCHOOL DRESSES 



The Dress with a Washable Underblouse 

The linen or serge jumper dress, made with a wash- 
able underblouse, is a most satisfactory garment for the 
school dress. It is not only utilitarian but it is also com- 
fortable and attractive on account of its many possible 
variations. It is becoming to almost all types of girls from 
the very young girl, often found in the first year of high 
school, to the dignified senior. 

The dress proper, built on simple lines, will stand hard 
wear and the fact that the underblouse may be laundered 
or changed will give freshness and variety to the costume. 

The very young girl who has not learned to care suc- 
cessfully- for her wristbands will find this feature most 
valuable. In warm climates or overheated school rooms the 
light weight of the underblouse will prove very comfortable. 

This dress made of wool may be worn quite late in the 
spring and a silk blouse will be most useful for the winter 
months. Made of gingham or linen the dress will be a val- 
uable asset in the summer wardrobe, particularly in the 
South. 

Georgette crepe is not an appropriate material for this 
undergarment or for any other school garment. Its perish- 
able nature and its transparency make it prohibited for the 
school room. A very transparent outer garment demands 
a most carefully selected under garment and more often 
than not this care is not wisely exercised by the wearer. 

A white shirt waist and dark skirt is a very utilitarian 
combination, but from an art standpoint it is not considered 
good design. For a costume to possess art quality it must 
have unity; the wearer and her clothes should create an 
impression of "oneness." 

The sudden change at the waist line from a light waist 
to a dark skirt cuts the figure into two parts, destroying 
this much-desired quality of unity. 




JUMPER DRESSES FOR THE VERY YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL GIRL 



The Proper Use of Line About the Face 

The truly well-dressed girl and the one who displays 
good judgment is not the girl who slavishly adopts the new 
styles and fads of the day regardless of whether they are 
becoming to her individually or not. This applies also to the 
way she dresses her hair. 

There is no part of a toilet that influences the effect 
of the whole more than the hair. The most becoming gown 
fails in its function if the hair is tousled or dressed unbecom- 
ingly. Many girls fail to realize how they may overcome 
some of Nature's faults and shortcomings and how they may 
counteract the effect of bad features and proportions by the 
correct use of line when dressing the hair. 

If "ear muffs" become stylish, the little round-faced 
girl who knows nothing of art or design as related to her- 
self must bulge her hair over her ears whether it makes a 
full moon of her face or not. Girls should dress in style 
but styles should be modified to suit each individual. 

The hair is a frame for the face. The delicate blonde 
and the strenuous athletic brunette may no more wear the 
same coiffure than they may safely wear the same colors. 
A miniature and an oil painting would certainly not be 
framed alike. 

The slender girl with a narrow face and thin neck 
should be most careful with the use of line around her face. 
Hair combed in on the cheeks and high and back from the 
forehead will make more evident her slenderness. A hard 
neck line or chains and ties repeating the point of her chin 
will make it appear more angular. Soft flowing lines in the 
hair, worn low on the forehead and back from the cheeks, 
should be adopted. 

The round-faced girl should conscientiously avoid coif- 
fures which broaden the proportions of her face, also neck- 
lines and beads that repeat the curve of her chin. 





Lines of Hair and Neck 
Increase Point of Face 



Soft Flowing Lines for 
Narrow Face 





Face Made Broader by Hair 
and Neck Line 



Successful Coiffure 
for Broad Face 



Suggestions for the Stout Figure 

A girl may not only improve the appearance of her 
face and head by the proper use of line but she may do won- 
ders with her figure, as well, if she knows how to properly 
design her dresses. A dress wonderfully becoming to a 
slender sylphlike girl may become a tragedy on her plump 
classmate. Every girl should understand her physical make- 
up as thoroughly as she does her disposition, with its strong 
points and its weaknesses. She should know the kind of line 
she may wear successfully in her dresses, and the colors that 
are most becoming to her and the types of materials most 
suitable for her. 

The stout girl should carefully avoid a design in a dress 
that is too cut-up or complicated. Tunics, unless long and 
scant, are unfortunate usually and the interest created by 
trimming about the waist line or elaborate belts should 
never be indulged in by the stout girl. 

Length-producing lines should always be planned and 
light or colored collars should always be designed so that in- 
terest will not be created out towards the sides of the figure, 
creating width, but down the center front instead. 

Contrasting shoes and stockings not only cut from the 
heighth of the figure but help to accent the feet and ankles 
of the wearer. The girl who wears white shoes with her 
dark dress states, by so doing, that she considers her feet 
well worth public consideration. 

Contrasting materials for sleeves or elaborate cuffs or 
pockets will add width to any figure. 

The designs in the accompanying illustration are most 
suitable for the older school girl when made up of wool or 
linen materials. 

I may safely recommend this type of line in design for 
the girl of superfluous weight. 



10 




vrr^ 



GOOD LINES FOR STOUT FIGURES 



Plaids and Figured Materials 

Our stores in the early spring and summer show such 
fascinating plaid and figured materials that I feel their use 
should be considered. Almost everyone has fallen a victim 
to a wonderfully colored plaid on display, to discover later 
that buying a plaid is a much simpler matter than making 
it into a dress. Plaids are fatal for stout people. Area is 
the impression always created by them and unless the pat- 
tern is very small and the colors very soft and indefinite, 
they should be reserved for the use of children and young 
girls. There is no colored costume that will make a woman 
more conspicuous than one made of a large black-and-white 
plaid material. 

In selecting a pattern for a girl's plaid dress care should 
be used to secure one with as few seams as possible. Every 
seam is a danger zone. Only persons with great poise and 
power of concentration, if they notice their surroundings 
at all, will be able to remain unaffected by a conspicuous 
seam when the plaids "don't hit." Some plaids are designed 
so that it is very difficult to match the pattern in the seams 
of the skirt or a stretched selvedge will add to the difficulty. 
A gored skirt pattern making bias seams necessary should 
never be used for plaid material. Arm holes and shoulder 
seams should be carefully planned. A kimona sleeve sim- 
plifies the arm-hole problem but will not prove so satisfac- 
tory in a wash dress. Plain material, either white or col- 
ored, makes a happy combination with plaids or figured 
material. 

The accompanying designs are particularly becoming to 
slender girls. The wide soft belts and collars and the con- 
trasting materials in the sleeves will seemingly add weight 
to slender young figures. In planning tucks and band trim- 
ming for a skirt the result will be much more pleasing if 
variety is used in the width of the bands and the spaces 
between the bands. 



12 




PLAID AND FIGURED MATERIAL FOR SLENDER FIGURES 



Appropriate Clothes for the Street 

If the school room is not an appropriate place for elab- 
orate or fanciful clothes, surely the street is less so. The 
truly refined woman will never wear those thing's on the 
•street that will make her conspicuous. Here all classes of 
^people meet and mingle, supposedly on business bent, and 
the girl who appears in this public place in party clothes 
shows either very poor judgment or that she is striving to 
attract public attention in the cheapest possible way. 

The most stylish girls seen in the city streets are those 
gowned in simple well-made dresses or tailored suits. Hats, 
gloves, and shoes should be as carefully considered as the 
dress itself and all should harmonize. 

A simple dark silk dress is almost an essential for 
street wear in spring and summer, to replace the heavier 
suit or serge dress. Taffeta is an excellent material for this 
dress and makes a much cooler and more youthful dress 
than satin. A taffeta dress needs little trimming, if cut 
on interesting lines. Buttons, tucks, and plaited frills of 
the same material may be used most effectively. Little bits 
of hand embroidery or attractive light collar and cuff sets 
add much charm to this type of dress. Bright colors should 
not appear upon the street. A "loud" color attracts atten- 
tion as successfully as a loud noise. Any dark neutral color 
becoming to the wearer is well for the street dress. Wool 
mixtures and tweeds are particularly good for suits built on 
box or belted lines. Sport clothes will give the young girl 
a wonderful opportunity for the use of brilliant color. 
Dresses worn at home and for afternoon and evening func- 
tions permit the use of delicate colors, more elaborate trim- 
ming, and more perishable materials. 

Remember that a hat should serve a double function. 
It should act as a covering for the head, and its lines and 
color should enhance the attractiveness of the wearer. 



14 




SIMPLE DESIGNS FOR TAFFETA STREET DRESSES 



The Graduation Dress 

One of the most important events in the life of every 
girl is her graduation, and we shall here consider the dress 
worn by her when she has fulfilled all the requirements and 
that long-anticipated day arrives. This occasion is not one 
for splendor and show, and the cue for the girl graduate is 
modesty and simplicity. She is not supposed to be a radiant 
queen bedecked for a festive occasion, but a charming young 
girl equipped and ready to begin life as a young woman. 

The simple and beautiful graduation dress of the past 
has assumed more elaborate proportions during recent years 
until it has reached the point where the students themselves 
realize that a halt must be called. Georgettes, chiffons, and 
expensive nets have supplanted cotton weaves and elaborate 
creations of lace and satin are not infrequent. The cost of 
the dress itself is increased by such expensive accessories 
as long white kid gloves, expensive slippers and stockings. 

What is the girl whose parents possess only moderate 
means to do under these conditions ? Perhaps she is gradu- 
ating with honors. Is she to be embarrassed by having to 
play a Cinderella role by the side of her gorgeously attired 
classmates or shall she strain the family bank account 
and spend money for this ornate apparel that should be 
spent for the education or maintenance of other members 
of her family? 

Surely this is a time when the American girl may show 
her real spirit of democracy. Instead of selecting a hand- 
some dress, which she often excuses by saying she wishes 
to use it afterwards for an evening dress, she will choose 
a really more charming one made of less expensive material, 
which will give her an opportunity to show her originality, 
and make her personal charms more appreciated. 



16 




No. B 820 ORGANDY GRADUATION DRESS No. B 822 

Patterns for these dresses may be secured at the College of Industrial Arts. 



The Graduation Dress 

In many high schools the unfairness of an expensive 
graduation dress has been so much appreciated by the stu- 
dents that a price limit has been set for the graduation 
outfit, and the girl who violates this understanding is con- 
sidered a real offender. The girls who have initiated this 
have been, in many cases, those girls who could best afford 
the expensive garments and by such acts they have demon- 
strated that they are to make the splendid American women 
of the future, who will lead in those movements that bring 
about the greatest good to the greatest number. 

I feel that organdy leads all other materials as desirable 
for the graduation dress. It is a trifle more expensive than 
some other possible materials but its sheerness and crisp- 
ness give character to the dress, making little trimming 
necessary. A dress of this material may be worn for quite 
a while, as a little pressing always revives its freshness. 
There are some qualities of flaxon that rival organdy as 
a desirable material, and a dress of this may be laundered 
with perfect safety. 

If lace is used on the graduation dress, do not sacrifice 
quality for quantity. A small amount of good lace skill- 
fully used will make a much handsomer garment than one 
festooned with rows of a cheap quality. A self-trimmed 
organdy dress is very distinctive. Dainty little frills and 
pin tucks may be used in many interesting ways, and they 
may be planned so as to be becoming to almost any figure. 

Daintiness should be the characteristic quality of the 
graduation dress. It is always disappointing to see elabo- 
rate jewelry worn with these charming frocks. In many 
cases the most valued possessions of the family have been 
collected for the occasion and this borrowed finery always 
makes a discordant note in the harmony of the young 
wearer's costume. Under no consideration substitute imi- 
tation jewelry for the genuine article. 



18 




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No. B 824 ORGANDY GRADUATION DRESS No. B 833 

Patterns for these dresses may be secured at the College of Industrial Arts. 



How to Secure Patterns of These Dresses 

The College of Industrial Arts, in its efforts to be of 
service to the girls and women of Texas, has made it pos- 
sible for those desiring patterns of the graduation dresses 
illustrated in this bulletin to secure them through the De- 
partment of Extension of the College. 

The original designs of these dresses were made by 
highly trained artists at the College, whom we feel appre- 
ciate the particular needs of Texas girls and women. The 
patterns were cut from these original designs by the Vogue 
Pattern Company of New York, and are sold at thirty cents 
each, their exact cost to the College. An illustration, ma- 
terial requirement, and approximate cost are given with 
each pattern, and they are cut in sizes 14, 16, and 18. When 
ordering patterns state the number of the pattern and the 
size desired. 

The quaint little design B 820 will appeal to the young 
girl who likes a touch of originality in her clothes. The be- 
coming fichu and full skirt of this design seem to belong 
to the Colonial days with powdered hair and patches. This 
design, created of organdy, should cost from $5.00 to $8.00 
according to the material selected. No. B 822 will prove more 
expensive on account of the lace trimming, the approximate 
cost being from $9.00 to $12.00. If interesting materials 
are chosen, this loose peplum and snug ribbon girdle will 
make quite a distinctive costume, becoming to stout figures. 

The long-waisted design B 824 is decidedly original and 
its dainty frills and ribbons appeal to young girls. A dress 
may be made by this pattern of good materials for $8.00. 

Design B 826 shows a clever interpretation of the nar- 
row skirt so popular today. The tiny tucks and frills make 
a dainty and inexpensive trimming, and the costume should 
cost from $4.00 to $6.00. 

No. B 828 demonstrates that vertical ruffles may be 
used successfully. This dress is beautiful when sheer mater- 
ial is used and the ruffles are picoted and plaited. It should 
cost about $6.00. 

The slender girl who is not too thin through the bust 
is charming in design B 833. The organdy sash and flounced 
peplum are designed particularly for her. From $6.00 to 
$8.00 should buy the material for this dress. 



20 




No. B 828 
Patterns 



ORGANDY GRADUATION DRESS No. B 826 

for these dresses may be secured at the College of Industrial Arts. 



Lingerie for the Graduation Dress 

The garment worn directly under the graduation dress 
has much to do with the effect of the dress itself. This 
garment should not be picked up at random but the fullness 
of its skirt and the design around the neck should be planned 
to suit the particular dress pattern selected. 

Underwear is to the dress what the foundation is to a 
house, and it should be built just as skillfully. It is im- 
possible to secure a dainty graceful effect in a dress when 
it is worn with a clumsy petticoat. Styles change in under- 
wear just as they do in dresses and the silhouette of the 
outer garment must decide what the lines of the under one 
shall be. For the present styles soft yielding materials are 
absolutely necessary for underwear and few flounces should 
be used about the bottom of the skirt if the clinging effect 
around the ankles and knees is desired in the dress. 

Elaborate lace trimmings are neither in good taste nor 
stylish, and handwork constitutes the decoration on many 
of the most attractive of these garments. Colored lingerie 
and bright-colored ribbons should be worn only when the 
dress is not transparent. Bright pink and blue ribbons in 
a camisole or chemise will always look a bit garish when 
viewed through a thin blouse. 

Color has a magnetic attraction for the eye and wher- 
ever placed immediately attracts attention to that spot. I 
am sure refined girls do not wish to invite public interest in 
their lingerie through the use of bright colors in their rib- 
bons. The most delicate tints are permissible, but should 
be used only in small quantities. White only should be used 
with the graduation dress. 

Since several petticoats are apt to prove clumsy, great 
care must be exerted in selecting the material for this under- 
garment, to avoid too much transparency when worn under 
the very sheer organdy dress. 



22 




LINGERIE FOR THE GRADUATION DRESS 



Corsets and Posture 

The envelope chemise and knickerbockers are very com- 
fortable undergarments and are quite popular with most 
young girls of today. They may be made most attractive 
when soft dainty materials are used and the needlework is 
carefully executed. These garments should be kept quite 
simple. If lace is used it should be in limited quantities 
and of a kind that may be laundered often. Little bits of 
dainty feather stitching and hand embroidery will add in- 
dividual charm to these undergarments. 

Style depends not only upon the proper selection of 
clothes but very largely upon the way these clothes are put 
on and worn. Many girls wearing beautiful clothes are 
decidedly ''not stylish." Their clothes look as though they 
had fallen upon their owners. This is caused by the fact 
that the wearer does not carry herself well, or has not good 
poise. Nothing is so vitally necessary for good health and 
good looks as good posture. The slouchy, humped-oved girl 
is unattractive enough when young, but when she develops 
into a misshapen woman with superfluous flesh about the 
abdomen and shoulders the most skillful artist will be un- 
able to disguise her deformities. The girl with the debu- 
tante slouch or the one who "sits in her corsets" is rarely 
graceful. The uncorseted figure is the popular one today 
but if corsets must be worn they should be most carefully 
selected. Fortunately the long, unyielding coats of mail of 
several years ago are now rarely seen on girls, and soft, 
flexible girdles leaving the figure with its natural lines and 
grace, have appeared as substitutes. A well-shapen bras- 
siere is often necessary with these low-busted girdles. 

A stylish girl has good poise. This means that she 
stands well, walks well, carries her head high, her shoulders 
back, and looks the world in the face. The clothes worn 
by this girl will take the correct swing. 



24 




ENVELOPE AND KNICKERBOCKER CHEMISE 



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GOOD UNSPOILED 
AMERICAN FEET 



A BUNION IS IN 
THE BONE 



All organizations and publications keenly interested in 
the welfare of young wom^n are making a strenuous effort 
to produce better American feet, and this is to be done di- 
rectly through the shoes worn by our girls. The Y. W. C. A. 
during the war discovered that lack of endurance" among 
girls could be traced back directly to misshapen feet, flat- 
tened arches, weak backs and abdominal muscles. In almost 
every case these had been caused by wearing high-heel 
shoes. 

The human bodv is built and strung so "that a nerson 
mav walk and stand with natural erace and ease. When 
the equilibrium of this delicate mechanism is disturbed bv 
inserting a spindle heel directly Under that point respon- 
sible for most of the human weight it is not surprising 
that physical ails result that must be carried through life. 

A French or spindle heel is absolutely inconsistent for 
any occasion when walking or standing is to be done and is 
certainly not artistic when worn with a tailored dress or 
suit. Vanity, gratified by a foot that seemingly is a bit 
smaller, should not compensate for the loss of pood health, 
good sense, natural grace and efficiency. An elaborate even- 
ing dress may call for a higher heel than the one worn on 
the street, but it will not excuse the wabbly spindle heels 
sold jgirls by many ruthless concerns. 



26 



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